10 Do’s and Don’ts for Landing a Job at a Game Studio

The major success elements for aceing your interview and landing the job are essentially the same once you’ve made it past the first stage, regardless of your area of expertise: characters, environments, illustration, 3D modelling, production, or concept art. What happens if you simply put your all into creating a killer portfolio and get the call to come in?

You were given the interview because of your portfolio, but you’re still not there yet! You must now have the ability to wow recruiters and convince them to hire you.

In the game art sector, Alejandro Rodriguez has years of experience working as a recruiter. His experience in 3D art has given him the ability to speak on behalf of various AAA gaming companies, including ArenaNet, WB Games, Glu Mobile, and Microsoft. He had the good fortune to gain invaluable knowledge from outstanding game art teams over the past five years, and in return he has worked hard to fill their ranks with driven artists who will aid them in achieving their objectives.

We had the opportunity to speak with Alejandro and obtain his exclusive tips on how to stand out to recruiters and secure a position as a game artist.

DO tailor your resume.

Using various filters, recruiters can search the database of a studio for particular keywords using many applicant-tracking systems (ATS). Please be aware that some businesses automatically categorise applications based on previously chosen filters, so make sure to customise your resume for the organisation you want to work for. Do the job descriptions on your CV and cover letter match up?

Study the job description and tailor your CV to it, since you don’t want the recruiter to have to guess whether you would be the proper match for the position, which is the advice you can derive from this.

DON’T worry too much about having a degree – unless you’re planning to move out of the country.

In actuality, your talent and teamwork skills are everything. When examining prospects for creative roles, hiring managers and I as a recruiter are not overly concerned with a candidate’s educational background.

However, you should pay attention to what Jon Troy Nickel says since he mentions the key justification for getting a degree:

The majority of professional visas, in the end, demand degrees or the corresponding in-depth experience. 1 year of academic gap is offset by 3 years of related experience. Therefore, your chances of entering the USA, for example, for a typical H1B Visa are considerably diminished even if you are a wonderful artist and have worked for 5 years as a freelancer or even 7 years internally at a local studio.

DON’T be indifferent.

The best method to win over recruiters is to show them your excitement, heart, and passion! It goes a long way if you demonstrate to an employer your interest in what they are producing. Show a potential employer that this is exactly where you want to be and what you want to be doing.

DO ask questions.

An interview involves both parties. The candidate should determine whether the studio is a good fit for them in addition to the studio determining whether they are a good fit for the studio. The applicant should feel encouraged to inquire about any topic, including the studio’s past, present, and future ambitions, culture, daily duties, benefits, method of operation, stability, and willingness to learn new software.

Prior to an interview, candidates should complete their research. Write down any inquiries they have, look up the studio, the games, or anything else. If you’re enthusiastic about the prospect of working there, the rest will be simple.

DO be prepared for their questions.

You can be confident that the studio is not overly concerned with your actual artistic abilities if you made it past the initial calls and art test. The team will need to assess whether you can be a culture fit and will want to make sure you are not difficult to deal with once you are welcomed into a studio for an interview. Sometimes, studios will try to put you under pressure with questions that will force you into a corner, but keep in mind that they are not intentionally trying to hurt you; instead, they generally want to observe how you manage pressure, so retain your composure.

Expect to be asked the following questions: How did you get into art? What steps do you take? What step is your favourite in the procedure? least preferred? Do you like to work alone or with others from different artistic fields? In five years, where do you see yourself? Do you produce your own art? Which projects have you most enjoyed working on? Recognize “X” software?

DON’T be difficult to work with.

Here are a some of the most frequent methods to immediately fail the interview, aside from obvious HR violations:

Dunning-Kruger effect: overconfidence when skills do not match attitude
incapacity to learn new workflows, pipelines, tools, etc.
inability to accept criticism
egregious lack of modesty
Negative outlook: It’s acceptable to have bad experiences, but avoid letting them define who you are as a person.

DO be honest when asked how long an artwork took to create.

I can see how asking how long did “X” take you can be confusing, but you should be honest in your response.

This is done because the person conducting the interview wants to know how long it will take you to accomplish the work that will be given to you. Concentrate on efficiency, knowing the tools at your disposal, and finding ways to accelerate development without compromising quality.

DON’T stop continuing to grow.

The biggest error an artist can make is to stagnate or stop developing. If you show you have plateaued with the amount of rising talent out there, you will most likely be passed up. You’ll get paid if you put in the effort.

Additionally, artists who exhibit a lack of fundamental knowledge, poor presentation, or who don’t conduct themselves like professionals won’t be taken into consideration. Focusing on your greatest work will help us better grasp your artistic goals because recruiters and art leads must quickly evaluate a huge number of applicants.

DO your best.

No matter how the studio scenario appears, your coworkers will remember this approach and it will benefit you in the long run.

We occasionally operate in chaos, but since it happens, take a lesson from it and go on. You succeed if you can demonstrate what you learned from it or how you handled a challenging circumstance.